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2011 kia soul Reviews and News

2011 KIA Soul

By
Automobile Magazine
- 12/22/2010

The Kia Soul, who shares its chassis with the Kia Rio, is Kia's entry into the "cool" economy car market. Entering the same market with such models as the Scion Xb and the Nissan Cube, it follows their formula of taking an economy car chassis and wrapping it in a cooler exterior, which has proven more desirable to younger buyers. This new styling was done under the supervisor of Peter Schreyer, who designed the Audi TT and is now Kia's Design Chief.

Both engines available on the Soul are very fuel efficient options. The base engine is a 1.6 liter four cylinder rated at 122 Hp with the upgrade engine making 142 HP from its 2.0 liter four cylinder. Transmission choices are a 5 speed stick or 4 speed auto, regardless of which engine is selected.

The Soul has many of the modern expected features such as standard traction control, stability control, and six airbags. Some of the features are themselves designed to lure the younger crowd, such as a hounds tooth interior and lights on the speakers which pulse to the beat of the music.

When it came time to advertise the 2012 Kia Soul, Kia already had a marketing hit on its hands from 2010 with a trio of hamsters driving and rapping. But to celebrate the Soul’s tweaks for the 2012 model year, Kia decided to turn up the heat and make those hamsters…dance.

Kia has announced pricing for the refreshed 2012 Soul hatchback. The base Soul with a manual transmission starts at $14,650 (after a $750 destination charge), an increase of $655 compared to the outgoing model. A 2012 Soul with an automatic transmission starts at $16,450.

Hip-hop hamsters made the funky-fresh Kia Soul a widely recognized and sought-after vehicle, with sales numbers to prove it. Could the European Picanto be the next big thing? Perhaps, provided the company nails (pun intended) the TV spots.

Remember those Kia Soul commercials headlined by rapping, animated hamsters? Kia certainly does, as the “This and That” spot scored Nielsen’s coveted “Automotive Ad of the Year” award for 2010. To celebrate, the company is dropping a special-edition car called the Soul Hamstar Edition.

Hyundai and Kia sales were hot again in April 2011, with the latter brand posting its best sales month in America to date. According to the automakers, Hyundai sold 61,754 units last month, while Kia moved 47,074 vehicles.

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Warranty

Recalls

Recall Date

12-31-1969:21:35:30

Component

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:SWITCHES:BRAKE LIGHT

Summary

Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Consequences

Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.

Potential Units Affected

980,377

Notes

Kia Motors Corporation

Recall Date

12-31-1969:21:35:30

Component

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

Summary

Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Consequences

Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.

Potential Units Affected

980,377

Notes

Kia Motors Corporation

Recall Date

12-31-1969:21:35:41

Component

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Kia Soul vehicles manufactured January 8, 2009, to October 2, 2013, equipped with a sun roof. A headliner plate may detach during deployment of the curtain air bag.

Consequences

A detached headliner plate may increase the risk of injury to the occupant during a vehicle crash.

Remedy

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install industrial adhesive strips to secure the headliner plates, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 2, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC112.